Evergreen
by Arkan9
Summary: A collection of oneshots revolving around Beast Boy. Most also involve Raven in some way. [If a pairing appears, it'll be BBxRae]
1. Rooftop

Look, my first oneshot! I was waiting somewhere the other day for an hour, and thanks to some foresight I had my trusty notebook with me. I was interrupted in my writing, but that doesn't matter, because I had an interesting conversation instead. Anyway, here it is. It's AU, as you should be able to tell, and the pairing should be pretty obvious too.

It's kinda corny...kinda really corny...and short. But meh, whatever; enjoy, and please review!

Merry Christmas everyone! (Or whatever other holiday you may celebrate…)

* * *

She stood atop an abandoned warehouse amid the falling snow. She held her arms out to the sides to catch the swirling flakes, but they vanished the moment they touched her skin. _I may be cold_, she thought, _but I guess I'm not quite freezing_. 

She had a feeling she knew what had caused that…_who_ had caused that.

He wasn't here.

He should be here, today of all days. The date held little meaning for her, but all around her people were celebrating, and somehow she wished that she could join in, if only with one person.

She shivered, regretting, not for the first time, her choice of costume. It was practical, but it wasn't designed to defend against the cold.

As she gazed out across the city, she felt very alone. The feeling was anything but alien to her, but lately it had been replaced more and more by…other feelings.

She was just one person in a whole world of people. She was insignificant. Not even her 'profession' was enough to distinguish her; she wasn't the only solo superhero in the city, let alone the world.

At least most people had someone to be with at this time of year.

Had she got it wrong? Had she misinterpreted his remarks? She'd been so sure that when she came here, she'd see a familiar figure standing in wait for her, or sitting with his feet dangling over the edge, gazing out across the bay and the single tiny island that floated there. He'd said once that he'd like to live on an island. _That_ island, even.

It was a tacit yet mutual agreement that this was their spot.

Where else could he be?

She wrapped her cloak more tightly around her body, certain that if she now tried to catch snowflakes they would accumulate in her hands.

She wondered what the time was and groaned when she remembered she had work tomorrow. And she didn't even have a special dinner waiting at home for her. Living a double life was necessary for survival, but sometimes she thought it would be simpler to just be a superhero full-time. No pretence, no mask, no lies. Like him.

She'd once offered to prepare him a cloaking spell, much like the one she used to hide her…odd colouring, so he could live a normal life when the sun rose. He declined.

She was Raven. She had always been and would always be nothing more or less. He had been someone else, once, but now, he had no other identity. He'd told her that if he couldn't live life looking the way he was, he wouldn't live at all. People rarely accepted him, but those who did were the only ones worth knowing.

He'd smiled at her then, looking deep into her eyes, and a warm tingle had spread throughout her body, just like it did every time he smiled.

It had to be nearly midnight now. She'd just have to accept that he wasn't coming. She couldn't wait up here all night like some pathetic lovesick teenager. She was a woman now, and she was independent. She didn't need anyone – especially not him.

It didn't hurt that he hadn't come to see her.

With a sigh, which escaped as a cloud of silver mist, she turned to go. She walked slowly towards the edge, her boots leaving imprints in the layer of snow that had fallen there. Just as she lifted herself into the air, she sensed a presence, just a second before a cheery voice called out.

"Hey, darlin', sorry I'm late; I got a little…caught up. But look, I come bearing gifts!"

Her feet touched the ground, and she was enveloped in a warm covering. She grabbed the edges, seeing that it was a thick winter coat, and gratefully pulled it closer around herself. She smiled softly, and looked up into his shining eyes.

"You're lucky this year," he murmured; "I got you _two_ presents."

He held something up. She glanced at it; a little sprig of slim leaves and white berries. Then he leaned forwards, and before she could register what was happening his mouth was over hers. She closed her eyes on instinct and absorbed the warmth of the short kiss. Then he pulled away, and as she opened her eyes all she saw was a bird fluttering over the edge. It was virtually impossible to recognise without the standard colours, but she knew what it was; a robin.

As she watched the small green bird fly out over the city's twinkling lights, she felt warm…and it had nothing to do with the coat.


	2. Gang

_Squee! I just saw Titans Together for the first time yesterday. Beast Boy so rocks._

_Anyway... I've kinda been abandoning my other story, but I'll fix that as soon as I have time. For now, I thought I'd turn this into a series of oneshots rather than just one. I have some others, which I'll post when I feel like it._

_I'd love some comments for this one - please? I think it's a bit weird, but the idea just came to me and I had to write it. Let me know how it turned out, 'kay?_

* * *

"Selina." 

She turned, blue eyes glittering in the moonlight. "What is it?"

"Someone here…says he wants to see our leader. To see about joining."

"Oh, really?" Amusement danced in her eyes. "Well, then, let him see me."

The others parted and he stepped through – carefully, but without fear. She sensed a lot of negative emotions in him, particularly anger, but they had not been brought about by the current situation, which was odd. They were more deep-rooted emotions, caused by something older – something he was running from, apparently.

He met her gaze without flinching. His eyes were a dark shade of green, looking almost black in the darkness.

"So…you want to be a part of our little gang."

His ears twitched slightly. "Yes."

She looked him over again, judging strength and speed. "Sit down," she offered after a moment. He did so, hopping up onto the low wall. She joined him there.

He caught her staring. "Oh, don't even ask about the green. It's a long story."

A slight smirk found its way into her eyes. "Fair enough. So, what brings you to this part of the city?"

He hesitated; she waited patiently. "I…need somewhere to go," he confided after a moment. "My…friends…well, we're not friends anymore. We had a fight, a big one, and now we've all…separated."

"But you didn't feel like living in seclusion," she filled in for him. He inclined his head, ever so slightly. "You do realise we can't trust you enough to accept you right now?"

It was his turn to smirk. "Naturally. But I'm willing to do what it takes to earn your trust. And I think I can help you, too."

"Oh, really? How?" Well, she certainly liked to get right to the point.

"I may not look like much, but I can…change. I can make myself bigger – or smaller – and I can fight."

She cocked her head, then her eyes lit up in realisation and recognition. "Oh, I know who you are!" she exclaimed. "You're one of those…superheroes. You and your friends are always fighting strange creatures. Your friends are strange creatures, themselves."

"Not friends anymore," he reminded her.

"My half-sister mentioned you, a while ago – you saved her, when that great monstrosity made like a mountain toppled one of the tall square-rocks. It would have crushed her, but you got her out of the way."

"Oh, yeah – I remember her."

Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "You...looked a little different then. Are you sure you'll fit in here?"

He looked away, staring into the night. "It'll be weird, at first – but I'll get used to it. I'll probably be moving on soon, anyway – I don't really want to stay around these parts anymore."

"And yet you can't quite leave." His lack of response was taken as an affirmative. "You'll have to prove yourself, of course – but for now…welcome to our little family."

Under the orange glow of a streetlight, undetected by human eyes, a small tabby disappeared into the bushes separating the road from the park, followed by her clowder – with one oddly-coloured extra member.


	3. Apprentice

_Many thanks to max remy (whom I forgot to mention last chapter) and SxStrngSamurai13 for reviewing. It really means a lot to me!_

* * *

A single eye stares out from a mask. He can sense someone – something – approaching.

The door bursts open. A figure strides in.

Inside he's surprised, but the only outward indication of this is a hidden raised eyebrow.

The boy is different now – older, darker – but still easily recognisable. He has grown taller, his shoulders are broader; he is a man now. He is a bitter man, a man filled with rage and sorrow, and not an entirely rational man.

"Well, well, well." His voice is smooth, controlled – as always. "What brings you to my humble abode, dear boy?"

The boy in question does not answer for a moment. When he does, the voice is gruffer than he remembers. It has hardened, along with his appearance. "I need training."

He almost laughs. The young man is showing an impressive lack of fear – and an abundance of insolence. His mind must be fractured, to contain such confidence. Reckless confidence.

"Oh? And what makes you so sure I would be willing to oblige?"

There is a pause; a cold, hard pause. All is silent for a moment.

Then, in a mere fraction of a fraction of a second, the boy moves faster than any human should, and before he can detect any motion he is pinned to the wall.

"_You will train me_." The voice is even deeper now. "You will train me to be the best damn fighter ever, better than precious Birdboy. You will train me to be the _best_."

Their faces are just inches apart. He wants to formulate a retort, but for once in his life he has actually been rendered speechless.

"And if you refuse…" The hands tighten around his throat, impossibly strong. "I won't think twice about crushing your neck."

Looking into the boy's eyes, he doesn't doubt for a second that he would do it. Those dark, dark eyes…

The eyes of a beast.

He is released, and falls choking to the floor, clutching at his neck. The sound of his ragged breathing fills the dark room. He glances up, and the boy – the beast – is actually smiling at him; a far more sickening sight than any glare.

"Besides, Slade – weren't you looking for an apprentice?"

* * *

_This idea just popped into my head the other day; I thought it was about time that the tables were turned, and someone else was pushing Slade around._

_So... Comments? Interpretations?_


	4. Hate

_Thanks to Blues59, roniloveu and Agent of the Divine One for reviewing. It really makes me so happy!_

_I wasn't sure about this one when I wrote it, but I just reread it and actually, I kinda like it. The idea's a pretty common one - but hey, whatever. Enjoy._

* * *

Sometimes, when someone says they hate someone, they actually just mean that they hate them. 

People always assume it's a defence mechanism, a denial; that it's just something people say to hide their true feelings. They say that opposites attract, and the course of true love never did run smooth, and all that – two people with strong feelings for each other are bound to rub each other up the wrong way sometimes. They're bound to have arguments, and get into fights.

But that's not what she's doing. She doesn't lie – well, hardly ever – and she wouldn't say it if she didn't mean it. So she hides her emotions, and there was that one time she denied her fear – that doesn't mean she's always in denial. She has personified emotions in her head who are always free to talk to her; how could she not know what she's feeling?

But they don't believe her. After they've had another one of their stupid fights, and Starfire comes to see if she's all right, she always tells her that she hates him. Starfire doesn't tell her that she should, but she doesn't say that it's not true, either. Not out loud, at least, but she always gets that knowing look and gives her friend a small smile, making some remark like "Oh, I am sure you do, Friend Raven."

Raven hates that.

Cyborg does the same thing, when they're working on his car together and talking while they do so. She's not always in a bad mood – sometimes she's almost cheerful while she's helping him – but more often than not it's just after they've fallen out, and she's buffing the car so hard she's rubbing away the metal. He asks her what's wrong – probably more out of concern for his baby than for her wellbeing – and she tells him that she hates their teammate. He just chuckles and says "Of course you do, Rae. And he hates you just as much as you hate him."

Comments like that hurt, for some reason.

Luckily, for a detective, Robin doesn't seem all that perceptive. He can tell if something's bothering her, all right – but when she tells him what's wrong and that she hates the fifth member of the team, he doesn't look quite so knowing. He just tells her that they're a team, and they have to try to get along – couldn't she talk to him, work things out, and at least tolerate him?

Strangely, talking to Robin about him annoys her more than when it's one of the other two.

But, really – can't they see that he really does irritate her, that she can't stand to be around him, that he's the last person she'd want to spend time with? It's not an act; he just has a habit of getting under her skin, of trying to burrow his way in to her life even more when in fact he's already deeply rooted. He doesn't seem to know that, though, and he just keeps pushing his way in. He doesn't know when to stop, and the concept of personal space is an alien one to him.

She hates it. She hates the way he never gives her any peace, never leaves her alone, and never stops trying to do the impossible. Why doesn't he understand that she just can't smile, even if she wanted to? Why doesn't he understand that she doesn't like him, and just wants him to leave her alone?

But he never gets the hint. He never stops pestering her. Whenever she turns around, he's _right there_, and she hates the constant invasion of her privacy.

He's annoying, he's arrogant, and…and he's skinny. That's why she hates him. She hates him utterly, with all her being, and spends a lot of time thinking of ways to get rid of him.

But she does _not_ think about him all the time.

Yes. She tells herself every day that she hates him. And it's true that her entire being is consumed by a certain strong emotion for him…

…but even she doesn't believe that it's hatred.

Sometimes, when someone says they hate someone, they really just mean that they hate them.

Not often, though.


End file.
